Diastereoselective Intramolecular [3 + 2]-Annulation of Donor–Acceptor Cyclopropane with Imine-Assembling Hexahydropyrrolo[3,2-c]quinolinone Scaffolds

An intramolecular [3 + 2]-annulation of amide-linked donor–acceptor cyclopropane with in situ-generated imine is described. As a result, diverse hexahydropyrrolo­[3,2-c]­quinolinones, as the tricyclic core of martinellines, were efficiently assembled in good to excellent yield (up to 93%) with a good diastereomeric ratio (up to 98:2).